Building a Healthy Digital Environment for Young People: A Look Back at a Day Dedicated to Digital Literacy in Québec
On November 18, the Québec Digital Literacy Roundtable, organized by Printemps numérique, brought together at NAD-UQAC School a community of experts, researchers, and professionals committed to building a healthy and safe digital culture for young people in Québec. Throughout the day, one central question guided the discussions: How can we help young people develop the digital skills essential to their safety and well-being?
A Day of Welcoming and Collaboration
The day was coordinated by Printemps numérique, in collaboration with Albane Français (SYNTHÈSE), a member of the Roundtable. Manuelle Freire and Jocelyn Benoit from NAD-UQAC School ensured on-site support and hospitality, allowing participants to discover the school’s digital creation spaces.
Talks and Highlights
In her presentation, Laureline Chiapello (CREAT Chair) shed light on inclusion, well-being, and responsible practices in video game design. Alix Jasmin Morissette (Cybercap) led a workshop on cybersecurity, allowing participants to explore young people’s realities and needs in the digital world.
In the afternoon, Amina Yagoubi and Agathe Paigneau (Printemps numérique) presented the Cyberbullying Prevention Competency Framework, a tool structured around four dimensions: society, individual, education, and justice. The participatory workshop that followed identified concrete actions to prevent cyberbullying.
A Collective Consultation to Identify Common Priorities
The end-of-day collective consultation highlighted several priorities:
- strengthening digital literacy education from elementary school through postsecondary studies;
- better training and equipping educational staff;
- offering simple and accessible resources for parents;
- providing stronger support for community organizations working on the ground;
- accelerating platform regulation for services used by children and adolescents;
- breaking down silos between schools, organizations, institutions, and industry to improve the coherence of actions.
Participants shared*:
“I was moved to see the cohesion in the proposed solutions. Many people from different backgrounds with the same desire to help.”
“I was delighted with my first participation. I discovered a Roundtable with committed, qualified, caring, curious members who stay on top of new developments and solutions in digital literacy! Thank you for the opportunity to learn and to meet wonderful people.”
*Translated from french to English
Next Steps
The ideas and proposals gathered throughout the day will be compiled into an official advisory document to be presented to public decision-makers. This initiative aims to promote the adoption of concrete and structural measures to support the development of young people’s digital skills, thus contributing to a safer, more inclusive, and more humane digital environment.
Join the Roundtable
Anyone interested in participating in future meetings or becoming more involved in the Roundtable may contact: [email protected]
The Roundtable is an intersectoral and interregional initiative led by Printemps numérique, supported by the Secrétariat à la jeunesse du Québec and presented by Hydro-Québec, as part of the Jeunesse QC 2030 project.
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